meet the director

LIZ NIES

Liz Nies is an Erie native with a passion for community building, family engagement and advocating for social and economic justice.

She attended John Carroll University where she received a bachelor's degree in sociology, with minors in political science and peace, justice and human rights. Liz returned to Erie to obtain her masters degree in social work and recently became a licensed social worker in the state of Pennsylvania. Liz has worked part-time with the Community School Model at Edison Elementary for several years and has also served as a trauma case manager, working with families and children open with OCY in the Erie area.

Liz is a strong believer in positive transformation that can occur when a holistic approach is used to support children's education, and she cannot wait to be part of Lincoln's mission!

keys to success

During the 23-24 school year, Lincoln launched their after-school programming framework, offering two programs per quarter. Over the course of the year, 47 unique students participated in enrichment programming, and the average attendance across all programs was 88%. This was a milestone moment for Lincoln, as students and families have been requesting more opportunities since Lincoln launched as a community school. After-school programming is a vital key to keeping students engaged and connected to school!

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LINCOLN SUCCESS STORY:

5th grade ambassador program

During the 23-24 school year, Lincoln launched their 5th Grade Ambassador Program. All 5th-grade students were invited to fill out a short application to become an ambassador, with 15 students ultimately being selected by a staff committee. Opportunities for ambassadors included assisting with weekly food bag distribution, giving new students a tour of the school, helping with family engagement events during the school day, and supporting classroom incentives. Ambassadors participated in two leadership lunches where they were able to hear from community leaders on their roles and how to develop leadership qualities. These speakers included Jay Breneman, President of the EPS School Board, and Ken Nickson, who oversees DEI for the district. Ambassadors were also able to attend the first ever United Way Community Schools Leadership Retreat held at UPMC Park where they took part in team-building activities with students from across Erie County, heard from several community leaders, and ate lunch together.

IMPROVED HEALTH AND WELLNESS

INCREASED ACCESS TO BASIC NEEDS AND HEALTH RESOURCES

In May 2024, Lincoln hosted its first Plant-A-Garden-Box event through a partnership with No Kid Hungry and the National Coalition for Community Schools. This event gave families the opportunity to select one herb and one vegetable to plant in a garden “grow bag” that they could then take home. While focusing on increasing awareness around SNAP eligibility and enrollment, this event also served to address the broader food insecurity present amongst Lincoln families.26 families participated in the event! supported 8 families with monthly diapers and wipes ,with funding support from United Way and Erie Insurance, assisted families and students with basic needs through over 470 visits to the Community Closet

2025 COMMUNITY SCHOOL CONFERENCE - REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!